Porto striker wants Premiership move

Porto striker Benni McCarthy has revealed he is desperate to quit the Portuguese side, which could pave the way for a move he has long craved to the Premiership.

McCarthy concedes he is bitterly unhappy at Porto, and despite having two seasons left on his current contract, knows he would no longer be able to give his heart and soul to the club if made to see out the deal.

The 27-year-old, Porto’s top scorer for the last two seasons, has become fed up after a number of rows with club officials thrust him into the spotlight, notably regarding his lifestyle and his refusal to join CSKA Moscow.

If McCarthy were to leave, his first choice is the Premiership, with Blackburn manager Mark Hughes among his admirers along with Bolton boss Sam Allardyce.

“I am tired of so much ingratitude, so much falsehood and so many accusations,” said McCarthy in Portuguese sports daily A Bola.

“If we won matches, Benni was deemed the best; if we lost it was because Benni had been spotted at a nightclub two weeks ago. Who can live under a climate of permanent suspicion like that?

“I deserve to live in peace and it would be best if I could go elsewhere to seek the happiness that Porto can no longer give me.”

When asked how he would feel if forced to stay, McCarthy replied: “I could work with the team, play as well, but my soul will surely not be with Porto.”

After plying his trade in Holland, Spain and now Portugal, McCarthy undoubtedly sees his next destination as England.

After last week intimating Ewood Park would be an ideal choice, he today added: “In South Africa, when I was a child, I only watched English football.

“It is an obsession that I have.”